2 Sheridan Presentations for the 2018 Conference

This year I took 9 of my kiddos from the Students Involved in Technology Club to the SIT conference. Four 4th and 5th graders presented and the other five were first time attenders so they came only as participants. It was an exciting day for everyone and I was so proud of our students' presentations and overall conference behavior.

We have always had good luck in the prize department. This year didn't disappoint. So excited for my LEGO lover, E, to have won an early drawing ​and the LEGO Ninjago movie! If you haven't attended the conference before, students earn SIT bucks for asking good questions and participating in the sessions.. They then get to enter drawings with the SIT bucks and hope for a win. Even better the students who present are entered in special drawings for even larger prizes.

Our first presentation of the day was given by C and K. They presented on how to build your own video game using Bloxels. They did a great job preparing for their session by designing their own characters, villains and map of the game layout. The participants in their session were very engaged with the chance to build different parts of the game and put them all together in the end for a collaborative game. We have learned over time that the best sessions are those that allow the participants to do hands on work with the subject.

The second session of the day was presented by J and A. They taught a packed room how to build their own holograms using DoInk apps. Our team taught students how to draw and design with the DoInk Animation app and then how to duplicate and animate. The results were amazing and the participants loved getting to create their own holograms in small groups.

After reflecting on our day the biggest take away was the destruction laboratory. So after we finish our I Survived video game design project we will add deconstruction to the end of the year plan for our SIT Club. I might have to call in the tech department for this one! Watch for more information on this in May!

3 Alternatives to Google Image Searching For Students

All images are appropriate for the school setting. Downloaded images automatically cite the author and the image license terms. All photos shown are licensed by Creative Commons for public use.

All images are properly filtered using safe search and the nature of the websites associated with image results are also screened to prevent users from landing on a site that may contain harmful content – even if the image that brought them to the site is innocent.

Teachers and students can use these free, safe, copyright-friendly photos and illustrations for classroom projects, web sites, videos, portfolios, or any other projects in an educational setting.

5 Digital Libraries for Students

International Children's Library(free)The titles in the collection, all presented in the original languages in which they were published, reflect similarities and differences in cultures, societies, interests, and lifestyles of peoples around the world.

Story Place(Free) StoryPlace came about to provide children with the virtual experience of going to the Library and participating in the same types of activities the Library offers at its physical locations. GREAT FOR KINDERGARTEN!

Magic Blox(Get one free a month or $$) An online book library of award winning kid's books from publishers and authors from around the world!

Mighty BooksMightyBook brings you new animated books, songs and interactive activities every month.